Tafseer of The Night Journey · Al-Israa · 17:85
And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, "The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted be His mention, says to His prophet Muhammad ﷺ: The unbelievers among the People of the Book ask you, by Allah, about the spirit — what it is? Say to them: the spirit belongs to the affair of my Lord, and you have been given only little knowledge, you and all people.
It has been related that those who asked the Prophet ﷺ about the spirit, and gave occasion for the descent of this verse, were a group of Jews.
Mention of the narration concerning this:
Abu Hisham related to us, saying: Wakiʿ related to us, saying: al-Aʿmash related to us on the authority of Ibrahim, on the authority of ʿAlqama, on the authority of ʿAbd Allah: he said: I was with the Prophet ﷺ in a field in Medina, and with him was a palm-stick on which he leaned; he passed by a group of Jews, and some of them said: ask him about the spirit; others said: do not ask him. He stopped, leaning on his palm-stick, and I stood behind him, and I supposed that revelation (waḥy) was being given to him; and he said: وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (And they ask you about the spirit. Say: the spirit belongs to the affair of my Lord, and you have been given only little knowledge). Some of them said to others: did we not tell you not to ask him?
Yahya ibn Ibrahim al-Masʿudi related to us, saying: my father related to us on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Ibrahim, on the authority of ʿAlqama, on the authority of ʿAbd Allah: he said: while I was walking with the Prophet ﷺ in a rocky area of Medina, we passed by Jews. Some of them said: ask him about the spirit. Others said: what moves you to hear what will not please you? They rose toward him and asked him; he stopped and I noticed that revelation was being given to him, and I remained standing in my place. Then he recited: وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا. They said: did we not forbid you to ask him?
Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna related to us, saying: Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla related to us, saying: Dawud related to us on the authority of ʿIkrima: he said: the People of the Book asked the Prophet ﷺ about the spirit, and Allah, exalted be He, sent down وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا. They said: do you claim that we have been given only little knowledge, while we have been given the Torah, and that is wisdom, and وَمَن يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا (whoever is given wisdom has truly been given much good)? He said: and then was sent down وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ (And if all the trees on earth were pens, and the sea, replenished by seven seas, were ink, the words of Allah would not run out). He said: what you have been given of knowledge by which Allah has saved you from the Fire — that is much and good, but in the knowledge of Allah it is little.
Ismaʿil ibn Abi al-Mutawakkil related to me, saying: al-Ashjaʿi Abu ʿAsim al-Himsi related to us, saying: Ishaq ibn ʿIsa Abu Yaʿqub related to us, saying: al-Qasim ibn Maʿn related to us on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Ibrahim, on the authority of ʿAlqama, on the authority of ʿAbd Allah: he said: I was with the Prophet ﷺ in a field in Medina, when a Jew came to him and said: O Abu al-Qasim, what is the spirit? The Prophet ﷺ remained silent, and Allah, mighty and great, sent down وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazid related to us, saying: Saʿid related to us on the authority of Qatada concerning His word وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ: the Jews came to the Prophet ﷺ, surrounded him and asked him; they said: if he is a prophet who knows, he will know it — and they asked him about the spirit, about the people of the Cave, and about Dhul-Qarnayn. Allah sent all of this down in His Book: وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا — he means the Jews.
Muhammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abu ʿAsim related to us, saying: ʿIsa related to us; and al-Harith related to me, saying: al-Hasan related to us, saying: Waqra related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abi Najih, on the authority of Mujahid concerning His word وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ: he said: Jews ask him about it.
Al-Qasim related to us, saying: al-Husayn related to us, saying: Hajjaj related to me on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujahid concerning وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ: he said: Jews ask him.
Muhammad ibn Saʿd related to us, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbas concerning وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ... the verse: he said: the Jews said to the Prophet ﷺ: tell us, what is the spirit, and how is the spirit that is in the body punished? For the spirit indeed belongs to the affair of Allah, mighty and great, and nothing concerning this had been sent down to him. So he gave them no answer; then Jibril, peace be upon him, came to him and said to him: قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا. The Prophet ﷺ communicated this to them, and they said: who brought you this? The Prophet ﷺ said to them: "Jibril brought it to me from Allah." They said: by Allah, no one has communicated it to you but our enemy; and Allah, blessed be His name, sent down قُلْ مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّجِبْرِيلَ فَإِنَّهُ نَزَّلَهُ عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ (Say: whoever is an enemy to Jibril — he has indeed sent it down upon your heart) ... the verse.
Ibn Humayd related to us, saying: Jarir related to us on the authority of Mughira, on the authority of Ibrahim, on the authority of ʿAbd Allah: he said: I was walking one day with the Prophet ﷺ, and we passed by people of the Jews. They said: O Abu al-Qasim, what is the spirit? The Prophet remained silent. I saw that revelation was being given to him; I withdrew from him toward a rain-gutter, and there was sent down to him وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ... the verse. The Jews said: thus we too find it with us.
The exegetes of the Qurʾan have differed among themselves about the spirit that is mentioned here — what it is. Some said: it is Jibril, peace be upon him.
Mention of who said that:
Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla related to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Thawr related to us on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatada concerning وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ: he said: it is Jibril. Qatada said: Ibn ʿAbbas kept this concealed.
Others said: it is an angel among the angels.
Mention of who said that:
ʿAli related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allah related to us, saying: Muʿawiya related to me on the authority of ʿAli, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbas concerning His word وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ: he said: the spirit is an angel.
ʿAli related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allah ibn Salih related to us, saying: Abu Marwan Yazid ibn Samura — the resident of Qaysariyya — related to me, from one who related to him on the authority of ʿAli ibn Abi Talib, that he said concerning وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ: he said: it is an angel among the angels with seventy thousand faces, each face with seventy thousand tongues, each tongue with seventy thousand languages with which he glorifies Allah, mighty and great. Allah creates from each glorification an angel that flies with the angels until the Day of Judgment.
We have set forth the meaning of the spirit elsewhere in our book in a manner that makes its repetition here unnecessary.
As for His word مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي (belonging to the affair of my Lord): this means: it belongs to the affair that Allah, mighty and great, knows and you do not; you do not know it, and He knows what it is.
As for His word وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (and you have been given only little knowledge): the exegetes of the Qurʾan have differed among themselves about who is meant by وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا. Some said: by this He means those who asked the Prophet ﷺ about the spirit, and all other people — but because the unaddressed person has been joined with the addressed person, the expression has come out in the second person, for that is what the Arabs do when both an absent and an addressed person come together in speech: they express the entire speech in the form of address for all.
Mention of who said that:
Ibn Humayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Ishaq related to us on the authority of one of his companions, on the authority of ʿAta ibn Yasar: he said: وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا was sent down in Mecca; when the Prophet ﷺ emigrated to Medina, the scribes of the Jews came to him and said: O Muhammad, has it not reached us that you say وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا — do you mean us or your people? He said: "All of you I mean." They said: but you read that the Torah was given to us, and in it is the explanation of everything? The Prophet ﷺ said: "That, in Allah's knowledge, is little; and He has given you what, if you act upon it, will benefit you." And Allah sent down وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ ... up to His word إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ (Truly, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing).
Al-Qasim related to us, saying: al-Husayn related to us, saying: Hajjaj related to me on the authority of Ibn Jurayj concerning وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا: he said: O Muhammad and all people.
Others said: by this are meant exclusively those who asked the Prophet ﷺ about the spirit.
Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazid related to us, saying: Saʿid related to us on the authority of Qatada concerning وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا: he said: he means the Jews.
The most correct view concerning this is to say that the expression has come out as address for whom it addresses, but the intended meaning encompasses all creatures — for the knowledge of anyone other than Allah, however great, is in the knowledge of Allah small.
The import of the words is therefore: you, O people, have been given only little knowledge in comparison with the much that Allah knows.
